Intermediate. used to be advanced but then stopped playing for about 8 years. losing weight and getting fit now. getting better though. i joined a league in 2006 and played over 100 games, was unbeaten, lost one set all year. THEN, i got married and put on 40 pounds. getting back into shape now, but ive developed some bad habits while playing, so working on them right now.

the US open is just as i expected, a lot of young, fit players coming up, like every year. i think Murray has a good chance and federer has a point to prove. nadal is doing well and i see him beating fish in the next round, but losing after that. he is tired after a long summer and needs a break badly.

Intermediate. used to be advanced but then stopped playing for about 8 years. losing weight and getting fit now. getting better though. i joined a league in 2006 and played over 100 games, was unbeaten, lost one set all year. THEN, i got married and put on 40 pounds. getting back into shape now, but ive developed some bad habits while playing, so working on them right now.

Ah yes, married life. Isn't it just a pain in the rear when you marry someone who cooks fantastic and you start to find it easier to cuddle up on the couch with the wife then hanging with the boys? I laid off for a long time as well and when you coach, it's really a problem because that will throw your game off unless you mix in hitting with your level of players at least 3 or more times a week. I currently live in New England although I am working on plans of moving back home. But here, when winter sets in, you either play indoors or you wait it out. Last winter, I actually hit when the temp was 50 degrees. ouch .. but the good news is, playing tennis is like riding a bike. The most you'll have to work on is your legs & feet, So I recommend doing some running and/or threadmill work to get those limbs moving again. Also some lateral movements is going to be necessary to get back to where you belong.

Your upper body strength is crucial as well if you play at an advanced level which I take it to be 4.0 - 4.5? That means you play with some pretty hard hitters and if your upper body strength has weakened, you'll find yourself getting fatigued in your arms. Sorry to say but getting back to that level is going to be hard work our new friend. Now if you were say, 3.0 - 3.5 then you would be able to get away with much less but you'll never be satisfied unless you're hitting with the same people you did before and since you know what it's like to win often, you have much to prove when you go back out and start challenging people again.

What you don't have to worry about too much are the ground strokes. You might spray a few here and there but once you find your swing again, you'll be as dangerous as you were before. For now, it's all about your body conditioning. The lateral drills is hugely important. Nothing worse than being a step slow to the ball. It makes for a long day at the office if you are.

Originally Posted by athard

the US open is just as i expected, a lot of young, fit players coming up, like every year. i think Murray has a good chance and federer has a point to prove. nadal is doing well and i see him beating fish in the next round, but losing after that. he is tired after a long summer and needs a break badly.

Well I'm hoping for a Federer win this year but he's not hitting like the #1 Player in the World. I say #1 because regardless of what's on paper, Roger Federer is the best player in the past 4 years and yet his confidence is making him appear as if he were a Club Hack like us. This guy isn't use to losing to many people but he's not feeling who he is these days and I fear he's not going to make it through.

Nadal is not going to get tired before he holds the crown up. If Nadal wins the Open, he will have won three of the four majors this year and that is remarkable to think this young kid has taken over where FedEx left off. What an incredible battle for dominance it will be for those two guys. Djokovic is a solid #3 but he's got a ways to go before he truly challenges for the #2 or #1 spot. Right now, Men's Tennis is all about two guys and Nadal is in the driver's seat at the moment.

The only acceptable loss is when your opponent was better than you on that given day.
It is never acceptable to lose when your opponent was not.

We are so close to a Federer Nadal final. that would be so awesome for the sport.

I hear what you are saying however at the same time, I constantly hear how deep the Men's Tour has become. Well how can one proclaim the ATP is deep in talent when the same two guys are constantly fighting it out in the Finals?

Granted, in the majors we do have a variety of different faces when it comes to the Qtrs & Semis but generally speaking Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal are the ones that command the big stage.

The only acceptable loss is when your opponent was better than you on that given day.
It is never acceptable to lose when your opponent was not.

True. In fact, I think that both of them are jaded because they've played non-stop since the French and neither are at their best. Perhaps that is why others may have a chance. For me however, Nadal is amazing. It's not just that he beat Federer, its that he has improved so much that his game has become effective across all surfaces.

Federer for that matter has a brilliant game on all surfaces too, that's why he got to the finals of the French, but he has yet to beat Nadal there. So in my book, Nadal is the better player right now. He beat federer on clay and on Grass.

Until Roger beat Pete Sampras at Wimbledon 01' which was their only professional meeting, Roger didn't come into his own until 2003 winning his 1st Slam Title at Wimbledon against Mark Philippoussis in the finals. Before that, Federer was known to be a contender for at least the R16 - Semis tops.

When Andy Roddick was #1 in the World, Federer was then #2 but 2003 turned the tide for him and he's not looked back since then until as you say, Nadal began to gain confidence in his abilities. If not for the French Open, I don't think Nadal would have ever crossed the threshold of success he now enjoys. But he was determined to prove his #2 ranking wasn't merely because of his dominance on Clay, much like when Tomas Muster became #1 in the World by only winning Clay Court Tournaments (and a lot of them)

I like both of these men, yet personally I am more inclined to cheer for Federer given he's so close to breaking previously untouchable records. I don't think it would be wise to think Nadal will emerge as the best of the two.
Even though, Nadal beat Federer at Wimbledon, one point here or there in the 5th Set could have resulted in a different conclusion. Nadal did not destroy Federer at Wimbledon by no means and grass is very much suited for a strong baseline player when the rain is minimal and the height of the grass is low.

Andre Agassi proved that in 1992. So the jury is still out on who actually is the better of the two. When all things settle back in and we again find Federer winning three of the four majors but never beating Nadal on Clay, I still must give the nod to Federer.

The only acceptable loss is when your opponent was better than you on that given day.
It is never acceptable to lose when your opponent was not.